Ideological Criticism (Discussion)

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Key terms in ideological criticism

Television and Mimi White's chapter in Channels of Discourse both present key terms and concepts involved in the study of ideology--including the term "ideology" itself. Blending these definitions together, devise a definition for the following specific terms.

Group 2

  1. "Social classes", specifically:
    • "Aristocracy"
    • "Bourgeoisie" (pronounced "boor-jhwah-zee")
    • "Proletariat"
  2. "Ruling class"
    • What is the current ruling class in the U.S?

Group 3

  1. "Means of production"
  2. "Dominant ideology"
    • What are some examples of values/ideas belonging to the dominant ideology today, in the U.S?

Group 4

  1. "Base" -- also known as "infrastructure"
  2. "Superstructure"

How does one relate to the other?

Group 1

  1. "Hegemony" (pronounced "heh-JEM-own-ee")
    • Cite an example of hegemony in action in contemporary U.S. culture.

All groups

  1. Define "ideology," according to Marx; and according to more current theorists. What are the main ways in which current theories differ from Marx's original theory?
  2. Define "discourse," according to John Fiske. In particular, how is a discourse a "coherent set of meanings"? How can discourse be seen in action in The Beverly Hillbillies? That is, what meanings could be grouped into a "set" labeled "Beverly Hills" and another set labeled "hillbilly"? List three meanings associated with each each label.
  3. Define "social formation," according to Louis Althusser (pronounced "loo-ee alt-hoo-ser").

Ideology and contradiction in the texts of television

  1. What does White mean by the phrase "ideological problematic"? Assuming that the ideological problematic of the Designing Women episode, "The Strange Case of Clarence and Anita," must involve issues of gender, class and race and assuming that the episode takes contradictory positions on these issues, be prepared to argue that the episode supports either Clarence Thomas or Anita Hill.
    • Groups 3 and 4 will argue that the episode supports Clarence Thomas and all that he represents.
    • Groups 1 and 2 will argue that the episode supports Anita Hill and all that she represents.

Bibliography

  1. Butler, Jeremy G. Television: Critical Methods and Applications. Mahweh, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007.
  2. Robert C. Allen, Channels of Discourse, Reassembled, second edition (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1992).

External links